Egg grader



Patented Dee. 1.9, 1922.

cniintns z. sriALtrr, or'snarrtn, wesiirneron.

nee Games application filed Maya,

T 0 all H lton???- in-66?] 60716677 Be it known that I CHARLns Z.

citizen of the United Stat'csot )arnerica, and

resident of the city of Seattle, in the county of lIiing and State of Washingtoi'r, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in E Graders of which the followingis a l p varying the leverage "of the laterallyextending "arins of these gates, to increase or de crease their downy i i 11.. However, I preferthat the arrhs 42, 32"

specification.

My invention intended, to grade eggs, fruit, and "like" objects by gravity, and it is my principal object to produce such anegg grader which shall be simple inexpensive,

and which will permit the rapid and easy grading of eggsaccording toweight.

()bj'ects'relating to stru'ctural details may be ascertained from a study of the accompa nying drawings and or the following specification and claims. I

Myinvention'coniprises those novel parts and combinations thereof which arefshown inthe accompanying drawings; described in thespecification; and particularly defined by are yieldingly held in the path ofeggs which are rolled down the incline 1' and'progressively down the incline are "arranged to resist the passage-of the eggs with'increasing force.

The incline 1 is shown hereinas forming the bottoin of a trough having sides 10 which enclose the eggs E anjdfwhich serve as supports forthe gates 2, 3 and 4-. The gates are shown as horizontally pivoted upon pins 11, although some other pivot arrangement mightbeeniploye'd if desired. The

gatesthernselves are bent toforin what is, in effect, a bell crank lever PlVOtQClHPOIl the pin 11. These may conveniently be made of sheet metal as shownherein, the bell crank levers being coniposed'of the downwardly extending arms 21,31 or 4:1, asthe case may be and'laterally extending arms'22, 32 01-142, respectively. Means are provided for correctly positioning'the"gates in the path of the eggs E, as they move down the incline seem, a

rolling them down an incline.

Naturally the inclination of the incline 1 Wlll have an effect upon the force exerted i922. semi m. 557.761;

these ineansbeingshown as bars'23, 33 or l3 which are secured in loop atthe end of the laterallyextending arms 22, 32an d 42. re

spectively; which bai'sextendacross the egg chute and rest normally upon the upper edges of the sides10.

V arious expedients might beeniployed for 21"shoultl be equal and are so shown. f

With such an arrangement the downwardly extending arms 4 1 81 and Tnordei to prevent an'egg which rolls endo'verendfrorn striking higher up onolie of the arms than another which rolls upon its side; and thus, by changing the leverage for fthisflgate, indicating a" falsely light we1ght,1 prov de a curled end 44, Mfand 24011 the respective gates, this extending";

toward the upper end of the incline in posi senate contacted with by an egg. Thus tlieipoint ott contact of any egg E with any will be "at substantially the smarts; tancefrornthe pivot pin 11 whether theegg is rolling. on itsside as is the -10wereg 'in Figured or rolling endfover end as is the upper egg.()bv1ously any suitable forwarclextension might be employed instead chrled" end 44.

Eggsarestarted down theincline' from the ante ofthe weight eiiacting on the lever arin 42, and the egg willpa'ss on. The gate'will drop again into its normal position; due to" the influence of gravityupon the weight The gate 3 will similarly operate for eggsot weight greater than those known as pullet size. The gate 2 will offer stillgreater resistance, andishould be designed to'stop oi? standard" sizev and to permit only The e sare thus over-size eggs to pass. mg

ing arm of anygate. I have therefore shown a support 12 which is fixed to the upper end by a given egg upon the downwardly extend upper end and strike first the gate 1. If they a e heavier than what is knowna's the i peewee size they will be sufficiently "heavy tofrais'e the gate 4 against tlieresist of the incline and of a given height so that when the grader is placed upon a level sur- 24, while the central trough permits an enclover-end egg to drop somewhat lower,

whereby its point will not strike above these extensions.

What I claim as my invention is:

.1. An egg grader comprising an incline and a plurality of yieldingly held stops of varying resistances positioned in the path I of an egg rolling down said incline.

' 2. An egg grader comprising an incline and a plurality of gravity-held. gates of varying resistances pivoted thereabove in the path of an egg rolling down said incline. V

3. 'An egg graderv comprising an incline,

upwardly-extending supportsat each side thereof, and a plurality of spaced gatesv pivoted in and depending from said supports in the path of an egg rolling down said incline, said. gates. normally being yieldingly held in such position with progressively in creasing force towards the lower end of the incline.

4. An egg grader comprising an incline and a plurality of yieldingly held stops of varyingresistances positioned in the path of an egg rolling down said incline, each 'stophaving acontact member projecting therefrom towards the upper end of the incline.

5. An egg grader comprising an incline,

I a plurality of bell-crank levers pivoted thereabove one arm of each lever extending substantially horizontally, and the other arm substantially vertically in the path of an egg rolling down said incline, said horizontal arms having an increasing downward effect each .diflerent from the others, to vary "the resistance of itsvertical arm to passage of the egg;

6. An egg grader comprising an incline, a plurality of bell-crank levers horizontally 1 pivoted thereabove, one arm of each lever respective vertical arm normally extending substantially horizontally, and its other arm substantially vertically in the path of an egg rolling down said incline, stops for positioning said levers in normal position, saidhorizontal arms, in

succession down the incline, being weighted and having an increased downward eflect to progressively increase the resistance of its against displacement by an egg.

7. An egg grader comprising an incline,

a plurality of bell-crank levers horizontally pivoted thereabove,'one arm of each lever normally extending laterally towards the lower end of the incline, and its other arm extending downwardly into the path of an egg rolling down the incline, said downwardly extending arms being of equal length, and the laterally extending arms.

being equally weighted and of different lengths, thereby to vary the resistance of said vertical arms against displacement.

8. An egg grader comprising an incline, a plurality of bell-crank levers horizontally pivoted thereabove, one arm of each lever being equally weighted and increasing in length towards the lower end of the incline, thereby to progressively increase the resistance of said vertical arms against displacement. q

9. An egg grader comprising an incline, upwardly extending supports at each side thereof, a plurality of transverse gates spaced. lengthwise of said incline and pivoted horizontally in said supports, said gates normally depending into the path of an egg rolling down said incline, each gate having an arm extending laterally beyond its pivot, towards the lower end of the incline, a weighted bar secured in each of said arms and normally resting upon said supports, the leverage of said weights and arms increasing towards the lower end of the incline, to progressively increase the resistance of said gates to an egg rolling down the: incline. I

10. An egg grader comprislng an incline,

a plurality of gates forming bell-crank,

levers horizontally pivoted thereabove, one arm of each lever normally extending laterally towards the lower end of the incline,

and its other end extending downwardly into the path of an egg rolling down the .in-

cline, the lower ends of said levers or gates beingfrolled towards the upper end of. the incline,and being of equal length, andthe laterally; extending arms being equally weighted,: and progressively increasing in length towards the lower end of the incline.

11. An egg grader comprising an egg chute, gates pivoted in the sides of said chute and depending into the path of an egg passing I theretl rough, said gates being yieldingly held in position each with a force greater than that holding the next preceding gate in the direction of movement of the egg.

7 Signed at Seattle, King County, Washington, this 26th day of April, 1922.

CHARLES z. SHALLIT. 

